She was Nessa in the Broadway in Chicago production of “Wicked,” has performed in over 20 musicals at the Marriott Theatre, and has starred in productions at numerous other Chicago theaters, including Northlight, Court, Writers, Chicago Shakespeare, and Drury Lane Evergreen, to name a few.

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Kettenring will next bring her talents to a solo concert about a late beloved singer when Michael Ingersoll’s Artists Lounge Live presents “We’ve Only Just Begun: Heidi Kettenring Sings Karen Carpenter” at 1 and 5 p.m. March 17 at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire.

Kettenring’s love of the music of Karen Carpenter goes back a long way. “I first heard her on ‘Sesame Street,’ when I was a little kid,” she recalled, “but became a fan-fan when I was in high school.”

It was Karen Carpenter’s voice that appealed to Kettenring. “I love the poetry of music, I love the music of music, but there’s something about her voice,” she said.

Kettenring was working in a candy store with other young women who were big fans of Carpenter when the singer struck a chord with her. “I went home and talked to my mom about it,” Kettenring said. Her mother’s response was, “Oh, I haven’t played for you all of my Karen Carpenter records?”

“That began it,” Kettenring said. “I was fascinated by the low, resonant, soulfulness of the sound that came out of her.”

However, it was actually Michael Ingersoll, founder and producer of Artists Lounge Live, who suggested that Kettenring perform a show around the music of Karen Carpenter. He had already worked with Kettenring three years earlier when he produced a show of hers that featured her favorite songs.

Kettenring was very familiar with Carpenter’s songs but did research to learn more about the singer’s life. “What I didn’t want to do was a retrospective on the life of Karen Carpenter,” she stressed. “Anybody can do that. I did a lot of research so I could do her journey through music. I want to honor the music and her.”

Kettenring was determined to avoid getting sidetracked by focusing on Carpenter’s anorexia or the problems in the singer’s marriage. “I want to celebrate her,” she explained.

She will do that by revealing some things that may surprise audiences, including the fact that Carpenter was voted the Best Drummer in 1975 in a Playboy Magazine poll.

In selecting which songs to include in the show, Kettenring was assisted by her music director Chuck Larkin, who happens to be a huge Karen Carpenter fan, too.

“We wanted to keep the majority of the songs hits because that’s what most of the people who come will want to hear,” Kettenring said. “But we also wanted to throw in a few gems that maybe people aren’t as familiar with.”

Familiar tunes will include, “Close to You,” “We’ve Only Just Begun,” “Superstar,” and “Rainy Days and Mondays.” Less familiar selections include, “Let Me Be the One” and songs more closely associated with other singers, including, “A Song for You,” “Rainbow Connection,” and “California Dreamin’.”

Kettenring admitted that it’s been a challenge preparing for the show but concluded “It’s really been thrilling.”

Audiences will hear favorite songs and stories about a late, great performer when Artists Lounge Live presents “We’ve Only Just Begun, Heidi Kettenring Sings Karen Carpenter” March 17 at Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire. (Ryan Bennett Photography)